Flipping the Bird
by HarvestBeauty
Summary: While out on a jog, Terri runs into Larry at the park and finds out something interesting.


_A/N: In the beginning of episode 5x01 (Upstairs, Downstairs, Downstairs), Larry mentions that he wants Jack to take care of/talk to his plants for him while he's out of town. I thought it was such an unusual, almost Janet like thing for Larry to ask of Jack, so it gave me an idea to explore other out of character hobbies that Larry could have had._

Terri's heart pounded in her chest, matching the rhythm of the song that was blasting from her headphones as she jogged down the bike path in the park. She silently cursed her decision to start her run so late in the afternoon. She preferred to run after the heat of the day began to wan anyway, but she had gotten a _really _late start today. The sun was slowly beginning to set and Terri had a feeling that she would not be able to complete her run before dark. In a desperate attempt to beat the clock, she started picking up the pace. She did not want to be caught out here after the sun went down.

The park tended to take on a completely different character at night. It went from bright, green, populated and cheerful to dark, desolate and ominous. It was incredible the difference a few hours could make. Terri should know, she'd had to walk through the park after getting off the bus from a late shift at the hospital plenty of times. It was a shortcut and saved time, but it was never a pleasant experience. Nothing ever happened to her, but Terri had always hated the dark. The darkness combined with what could happen to her was a combination that always sent her pulse racing. She prayed that she would never have to use her self defense moves that she had learned at the hospital in a real life situation.

Terri knew that if she was caught out here after dark, she would have to take her headphones off in order to finish her run. She knew how dangerous it was for a young lady to be distracted with music. Creeps could be hiding in the bushes, waiting for an unsuspecting woman to pass them...and then, bam! They could grab her by the hair and drag her off to God knows where. Jogging without music was incredibly boring and tedious, but it was something Terri was just going to have to suffer through. Better safe than sorry.

_Speaking of creeps lurking in the bushes..._

Terri skidded to a stop as her eyes locked in on a silhouette next to some bushes about ten feet in front of her, off to one side of the trail. It was like her nightmare had come to life. Her heart leapt in her throat and she pressed the stop button on her walkman, cutting the music off. After her initial panicked reaction wore off, she frowned a little bit in confusion as she realized that the guy wasn't even facing her direction or looking at her in any way. He was facing away from her, peering over the bushes at something with a pair of binoculars.

Her eyes narrowed as she began to recognize this creep as none other than Larry Dallas. She knew exactly what he was looking at, too. There was a beach about a mile from the park and on clear days it was easily visible to park goers. Terri's mood shifted from fear to annoyance. Yes, Larry was an oversexed creep...but utterly and completely harmless. In fact, she figured if she were to punch him he'd start whining. She had never seen him stoop so low, literally.

_Peeking at girls on the beach! Of all the low down, dirty things to do!_

Taking her headphones off and letting them hang around her neck, Terri steeled herself and marched right up to Larry, who was still unaware of her presence.

"What are you doing?!" She demanded loudly, putting her hands on her hips.

Larry jumped a mile, letting out a rather undignified yelp. He fumbled with the binoculars, nearly dropping them on the grass. He looked up at her as if she'd lost her mind.

"Don't give me that look! I've caught you red handed, and it's disgusting!" Terri snapped. She crouched down beside him, snatching the binoculars out of his hands so she could look through them, ranting the entire time.

"I'm out here innocently on my jog and I find you here peeking at...at..."

The words died in Terri's throat as she peered through the binoculars. She saw nothing but thick, green foliage.

"...Leaves?" Terri finished her rant on a confused, hesitant note. She could vaguely make out the fluttering of wings.

"I'll take those back, thank you." Larry plucked the binoculars out of her hands with a self satisfied and smarmy smirk. "And don't be so loud, you'll scare them away."

"Scare what away?" Terri wanted to know.

"Birds." Larry said simply, looking intently through his binoculars.

Terri's mind was officially blown. She didn't think the used car salesman liked anything but girls, money, cars and sports. She sat there with a stunned look on her face for ten long seconds, processing the information she just received.

"You like _birds_?" Terri asked dumbly.

"Yup." Larry answered, not even looking at her.

"Oh..." Terri trailed off, suddenly feeling very awkward for scolding Larry earlier. Luckily for her, he seemed too interested in what was in front of him to rub her nose in the mistake she had just made.

"Do you mind if I take a look?" She asked timidly after a few seconds of stunned silence.

"Oh, sure." Larry cheerfully handed her the binoculars. Grateful for the distraction, she peered through them.

"Do you notice that yellow bird over there?" Larry asked her.

"You mean the one who looks like he has a mustache and a beard? What a little cutie!" Terri giggled.

"Well that, my dear, is history in the making!" Larry answered her.

"I don't follow?" Terri inquired.

"That is a cardinal! But not just any cardinal. First of all, do you know how rare it is to find cardinals here in the state of California, especially during this time of year? Also, notice his color...he is _yellow_! Male cardinals are red and the female cardinals are brown...this is obviously a very rare genetic mutation! A one in a million find! Forget about wishing on a shooting star, just make a wish on this little guy..."

As Larry prattled on and on about the birds, Terri took her attention off of the subject at hand and just studied Larry as he spoke. His dark eyes sparkled with excitement and he gestured wildly with his hands, illustrating his points as he talked. Terri found it strangely adorable how enthusiastic he was getting. She never imagined the used car salesman having a hobby that was so..._wholesome_. Terri found herself smiling so hard that she thought her face might crack.

"Larry?" She spoke up.

"Hmmm?"

"I'm sorry I accused you of, you know, being a pervert and everything. This is actually really sweet." She apologized sincerely.

"Oh, don't worry about it...I can see how it looked. Normally I am, but you just caught me on a good day." Larry playfully winked at her. He got a slightly mischievous look on his face, as if he was suppressing the urge to laugh. "I guess you can say that I _was _watching the chicks, just a different kind."

He then proceeded to laugh his head off at his own joke, prompting a snort from Terri. She handed him back the binoculars, rolling her eyes at his corniness.

"Well, I guess we should head back. Can hardly see a thing now." Larry stood up, stretching out his legs as he did so.

Terri gasped, smacking herself in the forehead in frustration. She was so wrapped up in her little side adventure with Larry, she didn't even notice the sun disappearing over the horizon. It was growing dark and cool now and she still hadn't finished her run.

"Darn it! I have to finish my jog!" Terri shook her head before directing playful mock anger at Larry. "_Somebody _distracted me..."

"Not in the dark, you're not. Haven't you heard about all of the muggings going on lately? No way. Come on, I'll walk you home." Larry extended a hand down to her.

Terri sighed, knowing that Larry was right. She grasped his hand, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"Thanks." She muttered, still a little angry at herself for missing the rest of her run.

"No problem. You look amazing anyway. I don't even think you need to jog." Larry tilted his head, smiling at her.

"Yeah, yeah..." Terri blushed, waving him off. She was suddenly grateful for the hazy darkness settling in around them so he couldn't see her face blazing.

"I'll be your escort for the evening, Miss Alden." Larry held his arm out for her, putting on a corny British accent. Terri grinned and linked arms with him, his stupid accent somehow winning her over. The two friends made their way down the trail, beginning to make the long trek out of the park.

"But seriously..." Larry continued. "It's really dangerous for a girl to be out here at night. You should be more careful. Maybe you should bring me along with you on your nighttime runs."

"No, because then I'd have two problems...trying to defend myself _and _you." Terri smirked, teasing Larry playfully.

"Hey now, I'm no slouch!" Larry laughed good naturedly. "Four years in the Marines, remember?"

"Oh yeah!" Terri recalled. "So did you learn boxing like Jack did in the Navy?"

"More like general hand to hand combat. A little bit of everything." Larry answered her casually.

"Wow. For some reason, I cannot picture you raising a hand to anyone." Terri remarked. "No offense."

"Well, I'm a lover...not a fighter." Larry chuckled. "But when push comes to shove..."

Larry stopped talking for a few seconds, appearing lost in thought as they walked. Terri cast him a sidelong glance and noticed a smirk gracing his features. When he finally looked at her, his eyes glittered mischievously.

Terri knew that look. The old Larry Dallas was back.

"When we get home, I should show you some of my moves." He said in a soft, sexy tone.

Terri saw that coming. She rolled her eyes, determined not to dignify that comment with an answer. Undeterred, Larry continued speaking to her in a deeper, more seductive tone.

"I know a way that we can work up a sweat." Larry suggested.

Terri's eyes widened. That was going just a little bit too far. She opened her mouth in order to say something snarky to him, when Larry did something that truly surprised her. He tapped her gently on the shoulder and leaned in:

"Tag! You're it!"

Terri stopped walking, standing open mouthed in shock as Larry took off like a shot, running down the sidewalk.

"Tag? Really, Larry?" Terri blinked in surprise.

Larry stopped running and spun around to face her, not wanting to get too much of a head start.

"Come on!" He laughed. "To make up for cutting your run short! I'll race you home!"

Slowly, a huge grin spread across the nurse's face as she felt her inner child coming out, wanting to play with Larry.

"You're on!" She cried, chasing after him. About halfway home, Larry had let her catch up to him, of course. They were both laughing hysterically.

Terri couldn't remember a walk home ever being so much fun before.

THE END


End file.
